DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC)

  • Metastatic disease
• Measurable disease
• Tumor progression after treatment with interleukin-2 (only patients receiving cell infusions)
• Asymptomatic brain metastases allowed

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy

• More than 3 months

Hematopoietic

• Platelet count > 100,000/mm^3
• No coagulation disorders

Hepatic

• ALT and AST < 3 times upper limit of normal
• Total bilirubin ≤ 1.6 mg/dL OR
• Direct bilirubin ≤ 0.5 mg/dL
• Hepatitis B negative

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 1.6 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

• No major cardiovascular illness
• Normal stress cardiac test* NOTE: *For patients with EKG abnormalities, symptoms of cardiac ischemia or arrhythmias, or age > 50 years

Pulmonary

• No major respiratory illness
• FEV_1 > 60 % of predicted* NOTE: *For patients with prolonged history of cigarette smoking or symptoms of respiratory dysfunction

Immunologic

• No active systemic infections
• No major immune system illness
• HIV negative
• Epstein-Barr virus positive

Other

• No contraindication to interleukin-2 therapy
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Chemotherapy

• Not specified

Endocrine therapy

• No concurrent steroid therapy

Radiotherapy

• Prior local radiotherapy to non-evaluated sites allowed

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• More than 4 weeks since prior potentially effective therapy for RCC